Simplify and Win!

I know this may sound ficticious and maybe even fastidious...but, I am going to emphasize it anyway!

Specially for newbies, there seems to be a trend that the more variation of exercises you can fit into a workout the better!

This is rather wastefull because:

1 - It does not help the summation effect, which is one of the main principles of HST &quot;hitting the muscle every 36 - 48 hours&quot;

2 - It wastes a lot of time - you should spend 45 - 60 minutes in the gym, have a intense workout at least from the 5's onward and get out.

3 - Confusing the muscle to make it grow is not a HST theory or parctice and is a retarded way of viewing muscle physiology

4 - when a workout is simple (consists of 5 to 6 exercises, maximum 8), it becomes highly productive if the proper HST principles are applied to it!

5 - Use of isolation exercises without exception, should only be used when one has grown to a satisfactory size overall, they become wasteful otherwise (it is energy which could be used more productivelly).

Alternating certain compound exercises is a really good way to ensure that you cover all the bases but still keep your workout to an hour or less.

Squat/Dead
Chin/Row
Bench/Dip

Other things that I have experimented with and now do as a matter of course are:

SLDLs and squats up to end of 10s then alternate squats and normal deads during 5s. Actually, I squat on Mon and Fri and do deads only on Wednesdays. This allows for better recovery of my lowerback. For me, doing deads and squats on the same day during 5s compromises the loads I can lift for whichever exercise comes second and makes off-day activities unpleasant due to spinal erector soreness and fatigue.

I agree with both programs although I tend to put in one set of iso's for bi's and tri's. I find it necessary to keep my arm size up after so many years of lifting. Maybe it's psychological. True beginners shouldn't bother with them as they can be counter-productive in the beginning because of their relative small size. Unless you are looking to compete, I don't think a person really has to go beyond a &quot;beginners&quot; workout, with some change in exercise selection once in a while as long as they continue the weight progression, have proper nutrition, limit stress and have the requisite testosterone production.

After taking an extra week off, I rethought my next program and have decided to go back to my old standby, three times per week:

The above is considered one workout but the space indicates a possible break for AM/PM or even Day1/Day2 depending on how lazy I feel. I usually don't split until weeks 3, 5 and 6. Hammies, forearms and calves are not specifically addressed as they have grown proportionately without any iso's.

Weeks 1, 2 and 4 are 15, 10,and 5 reps, respectively. Weeks 3 and 5 are with 10 reps and 5 reps, respectively, with one added drop set of equal reps.
Week 6 is 5 reps with 2 added drop sets of 5 reps each. I do not feel the need to do drops with the iso's.

The above has worked well for me so I decided not to re-invent the wheel, especially after a very long SD.

Frequency - for begginers 3 x week, other variety's should only be used after at least 3 cycles (2x day 3x week / 4, 5 or 6 x week) there should always be at least one day rest.

If you go higher than 3x week, reduce the number of exercises to the basics.

Volume - again for begginers

15 x 1 set / 10 x 2 sets / 5 x 3 sets, other variations can be used but this one seems to cause the most gains overall.</div>
Hehe, thats my workout right there. Starting the 20th I'm going to do my first clean bulk and up the frequency to every other day. I'll slowly ramp up my calories and see where things start to happen.
I can't wait.
J

I know this may sound ficticious and maybe even fastidious...but, I am going to emphasize it anyway!

Specially for newbies, there seems to be a trend that the more variation of exercises you can fit into a workout the better!

This is rather wastefull because:

1 - It does not help the summation effect, which is one of the main principles of HST &quot;hitting the muscle every 36 - 48 hours&quot;

2 - It wastes a lot of time - you should spend 45 - 60 minutes in the gym, have a intense workout at least from the 5's onward and get out.

3 - Confusing the muscle to make it grow is not a HST theory or parctice and is a retarded way of viewing muscle physiology

4 - when a workout is simple (consists of 5 to 6 exercises, maximum 8), it becomes highly productive if the proper HST principles are applied to it!

5 - Use of isolation exercises without exception, should only be used when one has grown to a satisfactory size overall, they become wasteful otherwise (it is energy which could be used more productivelly).

I'll rant some more when the thread gets bigger </div>
yep that definitley applies to newbies,but wouldnt work for me.

the only point i disagree with is that confusing a muscle doesnt produce any hypertrophy,although i dont change execises each week,i change some after each cycle and i change my workout altogether sometimes,trying something new can and does stimulate growth.the muscle gets used to one way of working and when you change your workout your body has to adapt again,which can induce growth adaptations especially if using progressive load.

ET, sure you can do it that way. My personal preference would be to keep 2 weeks for the 10's and extend the 5's and possibly incorporate some drop sets in the later weeks. A general rule of thumb is that the higher the reps, the quicker RBE sets in so it is usually better in a muscle building phase to extend the 5's rather than the 10's or 15's.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">A general rule of thumb is that the higher the reps, the quicker RBE sets in so it is usually better in a muscle building phase to extend the 5's rather than the 10's or 15's.</div>

O &amp; G is right, you would benefit more from extending the 5's although some may argue that the hypertrophy phase is really the 10's, I am sure most of us have seen this proven otherwise.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">yep that definitley applies to newbies,but wouldnt work for me.</div>

Precisely why I started this thread, the newbies...well some of them at least are coming up with the most lengthy workouts, and these IMO are a waste of energy.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">The only point i disagree with is that confusing a muscle doesnt produce any hypertrophy</div>

Whilst it may very well be that an advanced lifter benefits from changing or altering a workout somewhat and score, it is still a retard statement to say you can confuse a muscle, if we put this more scientifically we would say challenging the muscle from a different angle.

Again...the newbies will not benefit from &quot;confusing muscles&quot; specially if they are just starting Weight training...if not they should still take on 3 or so cycles of HST before attemptimp to tweak!

The FAQ clearly states that you cannot &quot;confuse&quot; the muscle to induce hypertrophy. These are old bodybuilding myths. What happens when changing exercises is that sometimes you switch to an exercise that allows for greater load/stretch and/or requires different synergistic muscle activation patterns, thus putting (sometimes) new (greater) levels of tension on the target muscle, resulting in hypertrophy. But to say that randomly changing exercises is going to induce some hypertrophy is in error.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">A general rule of thumb is that the higher the reps, the quicker RBE sets in so it is usually better in a muscle building phase to extend the 5's rather than the 10's or 15's.</div>

O &amp; G is right, you would benefit more from extending the 5's although some may argue that the hypertrophy phase is really the 10's, I am sure most of us have seen this proven otherwise.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">yep that definitley applies to newbies,but wouldnt work for me.</div>

Precisely why I started this thread, the newbies...well some of them at least are coming up with the most lengthy workouts, and these IMO are a waste of energy.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">The only point i disagree with is that confusing a muscle doesnt produce any hypertrophy</div>

Whilst it may very well be that an advanced lifter benefits from changing or altering a workout somewhat and score, it is still a retard statement to say you can confuse a muscle, if we put this more scientifically we would say challenging the muscle from a different angle.

Again...the newbies will not benefit from &quot;confusing muscles&quot; specially if they are just starting Weight training...if not they should still take on 3 or so cycles of HST before attemptimp to tweak!</div>
actually i used the wrong words &quot;confusing the muscle&quot; is a stupid term,what i meant was shocking the muscle,this can and does work.

but yeah newbies should stick to simple exercises to get used to handling the weight.

I can verify the myth about confusion and hypertrophy very easily. My brain has always been confused and I have seen no appreciable hypertrophy in it for years. In fact, the reverse is probably happening!